The Youth EnviroLeaders' Forum

About the Youth EnviroLeaders' Forum

Do you care about the environment and want to make a difference?

The annual Youth EnviroLeaders' Forum [YELF] is hands on, youth driven, and designed to inspire and build the capability of young environmental leaders. Some 55 young leaders aged 15 to 18 from throughout New Zealand are selected from some 300 who apply and spend seven days sharing and discussing environmental issues with the aim of inspiring action in their own communities.

Many of these leaders have gone on to do unbelievable things in the communities they represent – to name just two of a very long list of examples, things like organising a youth-led Climate Challenge conference for Auckland and joining together a group of movers and shakers in the community to brainstorm solutions for environmental change.

This year's YELF

This year’s YELF, to be held in Waikato and Rotorua from April 14-18, will focus on different environmental issues related to climate change, our oceans, freshwater and biodiversity. The programme, which is in its 16th year, aims to get our future leaders fired up, inspired and ready to create change. Many of these young leaders who are successful in the programme are so enthusiastic, so wildly passionate, about whichever environmental topic inspires them – they want, literally, to change the world. And it’s that passion and drive that blankets all who attend the programme each year. The key is to turn that passion into action. That’s where YELF comes in. We fund and support the YELF programme and the Sir Peter Blake Trust delivers it. The young leaders say its “life-changing”.

"New Zealand is at a pivotal time in its history – with critical decisions being made on the best way to manage our natural resources and tackle issues like climate change. So, it's vital that our young people, represented by these YELF delegates, have the chance to get involved and make their voice heard. YELF does that." – chief executive, Vicky Robertson